Yesterday, we discussed the value of including pURLs in your marketing mix.  Today we are going to focus on QR codes and how they can add an additional touch point with your audience and increase consumer engagement between your brand’s message and its reader.

QR codes are great tools to help bridge the gap between your online messages and your print messages, which will ultimately help you retain the consumer’s attention for longer periods of time.  There are a few factors to consider when incorporating QR codes in your marketing mix that will to help enhance your consumer’s experience with your brand’s print and digital messages and ultimately increase your message’s overall reach and frequency.

Multiple studies have shown that the number one reason the average person will scan a QR code is to redeem an offer.  This is followed by additional product information or a video.  

By understanding what interests your consumer enough to scan, you’re able to set your brand up for success in the future.  Anytime you make a special deal available through a code, ask for the user to give an email address first.  This way, you not only grow your database, but you can also easily track which consumers are most engaged with your brand and its messages.

Personalizing your printed message can help to captivate your audience – and by adding a personalized QR Code with digital content that is relevant to the recipient’s needs will help to continue to keep them engaged and the recipient will be more likely to take action and communicate with you or even make a purchase directly from the digital landing page because of their personalized experience with your brand.

Personalized QR codes can be produced by using a combination of your consumer databases to develop relevant content, personalized URLs to create unique landing pages, QR codes for the consumer to scan and mobilized landing pages to make the experience seamless and reduce the amount of time it takes to load and mobile landing pages offer easier navigation.  But, just as with VDP, your consumer database needs to be well-managed and maintained so it can be segmented and used for individualized communication between your brand and the recipient.

Cross media marketing is powerful — it expands your reach and frequency and offers you higher response rates.  How are you including QR Codes and pURLs in your marketing mix?

Timothy Freeman
President
Print & Graphic Communications Association